Continuous washing and drying machine for blue prints and the like



April 5, 1932- I T. LORD ET AL I ,852,662

CONTINUOUS WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE FOR BLUE PRINTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 26, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 5, 1932. LORD ET AL 1,852,662

CONTINUOES WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE FOR BLUE PRINTS AND THE LIKE Filed May 26, 192 8 s Sheets-Sheet 2 39' 33 I .4 9, 139.2 39 i \.w I L April 5, 1932. 'r. LORD ET AL CONTINUOUS WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE FOR BLUE PRINTS AND THE LIKE Filed M 2a, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Ivan/75ers Tkowza-Sl 0111/,

Woess @M Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- THOMAS IDBD AND HAROLP J'. BRUNK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, IBY IESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T C. F. PEASE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CONTINUOUS WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE FOR BLUE PRINTS AND THE LIKE Application filed May 26,

Our invention relates to improvements in so called continuous machines for washing, developing,'drying and rolling up of blue prints, blue line prints, negatives and other 5 photographic prints.

. .1 of the printer.

In such machines as have been used commercially heretofore, the wind up device at the rear of the machine pulls the paper through the entire machine with the exception This maintains the paper under considerable stress, causing wrinkles in it and a great amount of distortion. To avoid wrinkles, it has been customary heretofore to arrange bent tubes transversely of the span of paper to cause a bulge in the paper. However, this puts more stress on the paper and while it decreases the wrinkles at that particular location, the additional stress causes more wrinkles elsewhere. Wrinkles are also caused by the fact that the sheet of paper widens materially as soon onto the paper do not mix. The other scraper is intended to prevent the final wash from mixing with the potash or hypo.

These scraper edges sometimes injure the surface of the paper partly due to the fact that the paper at that stage is very wet and semiplastic. Also, said scrapers are not entirely effective, as wrinkles in the paper passing over said scrapers permit a leakage of water or potash at that point.

One ob ect of the invention is to provide an improved machine of this character in which wrinkling. of the paper is eliminated, in which the surface of the paper is not damaged by scrapers, and in which there is a complete separation of the water washes front. the

hypo or potash.

Another difiiculty which has arisen -heretofore is that theopen type of drying has been 1928. Serial No. 280,862.

employed. That is, the paper has been merely looped around a frame with a source of heat between the spans, the paper travelling through the air wlthout any support. Any draft of air in the room under these COIldltions affects the heated air which accompli shes the drying. Furthermore it has been difiicult to maintainthe heated air at a uniform temperature.

Another object of our invention is directed to the drying of the paper by passing it over heated rollers, the temperature of which may be accurately'regulated and which have the advantage of smoothing out or ironing the pa er and other advantages as well.

s contributory to the general objects previously presented, we have as further objects to provide a continuous washing and drying machine -having a tension roll arrangement to take up slack in the paper; one having nozzles for applying the water to the paper in the form of a mist as it travels downwardl where y rapid expansion of the paper does not injuriously affect the finished product; one having a fiat plate glass backing adjacent the water spray to deaden the noise; one

having various rolls for smoothing out wrinkles and removing the liquid from the paper one having a potash or hypo tank with automatic means for controlling the sup ply; one having means at the end for maintainz'ng an adjustable tension on the paperin drawing it through the machine and one having a device for rolling up the finished print tightly on a roll which is readily detachable from the machine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of themachine,

the hand operating means being omitted for I the purpose of clearness.

Fig. '2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device showing the parts more in detail than is shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing certain of the roller construction and operating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the potash or hypo applying mechanism; and

at a certain predetermined angle Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation take'n on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The blue printin machine has a driven roller I mounted t ereon over which the paper 2 passes to the washin and drying machine. The pa r is in the orm of a continuous sheet and is usually several feet wide. It passes under a drag roller 3, the latter being secured to a pair of chains 4 passing around pairs of u per and lower sprockets 5, the upper sproc ets being secured to the shaft 6 to turn together. An adjustable counter excess weight 7 is also carried by said chains to balance the weight of the roller 3 which maintains .the proper tension on the paper 2. a

The function of said roller is to furnish enough weight in the loop ofthe paper to "keep any slack from' developing during the progress of the paper through the washer and drier. Such slack would develop from a slight difference in speed between the printer and washer and also from the elongation of the paper due to its ex ansion while it is wet. In operation, the rag roller 3 moves up and down slightly as conditions may demand.

From roller 3, the paper passes over roller 8 and down at anangle of about thirty degrees over a piece of flat plate lass 9. The glass constitutes a noiseless bac ing for the paper while it is being subjected to the wash- 1ng action of high speed water sprays 10.

The nozzles from which the water issues are described more fully in the pending application of .Harold J. Brunk, Serial No. 255,482, filed February 18, 1928, Patent No. 1,812,470, granted June 30, 1931.

The paper next passes over roller 11, above which is located a back water wash 12 which directs water against the rear surface of the paper. The angle of the glass and the angle assumed by the paper between rolls 8 and 11 is important, for the reason that as soon as the paper is wet it widens very materially. For example, in the case of thin paper 42, inches wide when dry, the width increases approximately 2 inches almost immediately after it passes the water sprays. If the paperin passing over roller 8 hung down ina vertical position rather than at a substantial angle such as shown, the paper would wrinkle. With .the arrangement shown, however, the paper in passing over the roller 11 is smoothed out and prevented from wrinkling, after which it passes down, substantially vertically, over the roller 13 and also is deflected'slightly at said roller in passing to the roller beneath. Any slight waves in the paper approaching wrinkles are thus smoothed out over the roller 13, which exerts pressure against said paper.

The back water wash 14 is also applied directly above said roller to insure a condition of equal expansion and to prevent curling of the paper at the edges, such as would result if the paper were wet on one side only, the same being true with reference to the back water wash 12.

The roller 15 at the bottom of the machine is preferably made of brass and is of fairly large diameter and is driven at initial speed through helical gears 16 from a shaft 17. This roller, because of its large size, has an ironing effect upon the paper and it' also serves to pull the paper on throu h the machine, overcoming the-friction an more particularly the necessary drag that is exerted by the roll 3.

The paper next passes over rollers 18 and 19 which project slightly up into the line of travel. Theserolls support the weight of the paper and also prevent wrinkles by the slight ironing action which they efiect where they engage the back surface of the paper. They also'have the eflect of wiping or wringing the surplus water from the back of the paper.

The surplus water is completely removed ing purposes. This rol is driven in the direction of travel of the paper, but has a surface speed much faster than that of the pa 1', preferably twice as fast. Said roll is rub r covered and dips into the potash tray 23, the liquid being supplied from the potash or hypo tank 24. Two such tanks may be provided as shown in Fig. 1, although one tank or the other will suffice if the machine is to be used entirely for developing blue prints on the one hand, or negatives of the black line or brown line type on the other hand.

The level of the liquid in the tray 23 is maintained by one of the constant level floats 25 each of which is positioned in partitioned off chamber 25 near one end of the respective tank 24, the liquidv flowingto the tray 23 through one of the pipes 25 so that as the potash or hypo is used, the level in the tray remains constant.- The details of such arrangement being well understood, they are not described herein in greater detail.

The reason the roll 22 is rotated at a pcripheral speed faster than that of the paper,

is to cause a puddle of liquid to be maintained between the roll and the paper as shown at 26. This puddle is suflicient to insure uniform application of the potash or by 0 to the surface of the paper. The angle of t e paper ill] as it passes over the rolls 20 and 22 is important for the reason that if the angle were too great by having the roll 20 an inch or two lower than that shown, the potash or hypo in the puddle would flow back down the paper onto the roll 20, causing streaks in the paper. In passing over the roll 22, the paper is held firmly in contact with the same, thus reventing any of the liquid from the pad e from passing over and onto the next roll 27 under which the paper passes. The arrangement described insures great economy in the use of the potash or hypo and furthermore there is substantially no surplus of either to be washed off afterwards.

The rolls, 22 and 27 are driven by a chain 28, the roll 27 being driven at paperspe'ed, delivering the paper upwardly past a second water wash 29. tray 30 catches the water from said water wash which is sli htlymixed with potash and liable to spot i allowed to fall onto the paper below, and has a drain outlet 30 in one end. The downward slope of the-paper between the rolls 22 and 27 is important, the arrangement being such as to prevent any water from getting around and into the potash or hypo trough 23. This particular arrangement insures that nowater on the surface of the paper from the first water wash or from the last water wash will ever mix with the hypo or potash in the trough 23, and the parts described in the drawings re quire no adjustment.

'lhe roll 27 is, however, carried by movable brackets 31, mounted on a pivot 32, whereby said roll may be released when the machine is stopped for any length of time, by swing: ing it upwardly, as by means oi a handle 3i", as shown in Fig, 4. This releases the tension on the paper and prevents it from sticking to the roll 22, and also prevents it from breaking due to contraction during the process of drying. The water spray 29, lubricates the roll 27, and prevents the roll sticking to the paper as wellas keeping the roll and the back of the paper clean.

Alter leavin theroll 2'2, the paper passes upward'throug a water spray 33, very similar to the one previously referred to, thereby completely washing the surface oi the paper and removing any trace of potash or hypo.

The paper then passes over rolls 34 and 35 and under the glass scraper 36, the latter having a smooth and rounded edge and being carried on adjustable arms 37. In addition to scraping the paper surface free of any surplus water, said rounded edge has a smoothing action, ironing out any slight wrinkles which may appear;

Above the rolls, just named, the paper travelspast a rod 38, carried by an adjustable arm 33 which passes the paper in the direction of the copper drying drum 39. Said rod 38 is used primarily wherever thin negative paper is being run. its action is such as to guide the paper in a straight line parallel with the drum axis. Said drying drum may be heated either with gas or electricity, or in any other suitable manner, the back or unprinted side of the paper being in contact with said drum. In Fig. 1, the gas burners 39 are shown for the purpose of illustration,

on the relation of the rolls 40 to each other,

and to the heating drums. By providing two separate heating drums instead of one drum, a closer degree of heat can 'be maintained. For example, the paper passes over the first heating drum witlnjust a slight amount of heat applied thereto partially drying the same, and by permitting it to pass over the rollers 40, after covering the short span from the first heating drum to the first roller 40, it is givenan opportunity to contract before it makes contact with the second heating drum. With this arrangement the machine can be run at high speed which otherwise would not be possible.

From the heating rollers, thepaper passes over idler roll 4i, which may be slightly heated by a burner 41', between the same and a spring pressed ironing shoe 42, the latter making light spring contact with said roll.

This puts a final finish on the paper and in the case of thin negatives serves as a heating roll where no heat is supplied to the drums 39. It will be noted that the back of the paper is in contact with both of said drums as well as with said finalheating roller.

The paper then passes over the roller 4 which is driven from the vertical shaft 40' through helical gears 44, 44'. Elastic tapes 45 pass around rollers 46, 47, the latter being an idler roll mounted on the swingingulrm 48, which is adjusted by a tension spring 49. Said helical gear 44 idle upon the shaft and drives the roll 43 through a clutch hub at the hand wheel 50, which is keyed to the shaft. The object of this arrangement is to permit a leader to be pulled through the machine by pulling out the hand wheel thus disengaging the clutch and allowing roll 43 and also 46, which is driven from 43 by spur gears 51, to be 0 erated by the hand wheel. Said rolls 43 and 46 are driven slightly faster than the normal speed of the paper, thereby exerting a pulling action at all times on the paper and holding it firmly in contact with the surface of the drying drums. This pulling action can be gauged to a very fine point, and any pull required can be obtained by adjustment of the spring 49, which may be provided with upon the spring pins 53, 54. Said roll is driven by pulley 55, the connection being by a raw hide belt 54 which has a tendency to slip as the roll of paper increases in diameter. Said roll is quickly detached by pulling toward the right which moves the spring 54 and permits the cross pin 56 to be released from the slot 57 in the end of said roll.

What we claim is: 1. A washing and drying machine comprising side frames, rolls supported therein,

means for drawing the paper through said machine, one of said rolls being intermediate said other rolls and serving to apply potash or hypo to the paper passing over the same, means for driving said roll at a surface speed faster than the movement of said paper,.the rolls at opposite sides thereof being positioned at elevations lower than said applying roll whereby the paper ascends to and descends from said applying roll so as to insure a puddle between the approaching span of paper and the periphery of said roll.

2.111 a washing and drying machine, a series of rolls, means for positively driving two of said rolls at different rates of rotation, a trough in which the faster of said rolls dips to apply potash or hypo to washed paper passing over the top thereof, a third roll over which said paper passes in travelling from the slower of said driven rolls to the other and so located that the span of paper approaches said second mentioned roll at a slight incline above a horizontal position, and a tray beneath said rolls to collect the water removed from said paper by said slower driven roll and by said third roll.

3. In a washing. and drying machine, a group of three rolls, means for driving the middle roll in the direction of movement of the paper over the same, a liquid tray into which said middle roll dips, said rolls being so arranged that the paper passes over the first two rolls in a direction inclined slightly upwardly whereby said middle roll maintains a puddle of liquid on the lower surface of said paper adjacent said roll then passes downwardly at a substantial angle beneath said third roll, a water tray beneath said third roll and a back water wash for the paper located just beyond said third roll.

4. In a washing and drying machine for light sensitive material comprising a roll for applying potash or hypo to said material, said roll being rotatable at a surface speed greater than the travel of paper over the same and in the same direction, a tray beneath the same, a supply tank communicating with said tray and means for automati- 6. Apparatus of the class described com prising a liquid applying roll, a trough for such liquid into which said roll dips, means for moving paper over said roll independently of the rotary movement thereof and means for rotating said roll in the direction of movement of the paper over the same and at a surface speed greater than the movement of said paper.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising a paper driving roll. a liquid applying roll over which said paper passes, means for rotating said roll in'the direction of movement of said paper and at a surface speed higher than the movement of said paper, and means in front of said applying roll for guiding the paper to said roll at such incline as to assure the maintenance of a puddle of liquid between the approaching span of paper and the periphery of said roll.

8. Apparatus of the class described comprising a supporting frame, a roll supported therein, a tray into which said roll dips for applying liquid from the same to paper passing over said roll, means for rotating said roll in the direction of movement of said paper and at a surface speed higher than the speed of travel of said paper, a second roll at the front of said driven roll positioned at a lower elevation for guiding the paper to said first roll at an incline whereby a puddle of liquid is maintained against the lower surface of said paper adjacent the periphery of said first roll, and a third roll at the rear of said first roll and having its under surface at a lower elevation than the top of said first roll and coacting with said second roll to hold the paper in firm contact with said first roll to prevent the passage of excess liquid from said puddle, beyond said first roll.

In testimony whereof we have subscribed our names.

THOMAS LOB-D. HAROLD J. BRUNK. 

